I absolutely loved this one… way more than the first book in this series and I am excited to add a copy to my bookshelves!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me an e-copy of LOVE ON THE BRAIN by Ali Hazelwood to review. Unfortunately, this will not be a great review and will include spoilers.

The book spent a LOT of time using science jargon that honestly, I'm just not smart enough to understand. I admit, I'm not that intelligent with math and science. I love the STEM aspect, but it was hard to follow and confusing if you aren't into science or engineering. I ended up skimming over a lot of those paragraphs and pages, and believe me, that killed me.

Ali writes amazing love scenes. I was so ON BOARD with Levi. He was perfect for Bee. His twitter message about her (before knowing who she was) made me tear-up because it was perfectly written, sweet and heart-wrenching. But Bee spent the entire time they were together seeing themselves as friends with benefits when it was clear he saw it as more.

I loved The Love Hypothesis and the STEM storyline. There were some parts of the book that made clear the character was leery of men. Rightfully so. Things made sense in that plot. There were specific incidents that made her super careful with men.

But for LOVE ON THE BRAIN I spent most of the book wondering if the main character even liked men. And if she didn't - that's okay!! - but the love interest is a man and the plot revolves around her falling in love with a man. The character made many general blanket statements about men in a negative way. This is a romance book and the character's disdain for ALL men was off-putting.

There were only two men Bee liked - Levi (it took years for that to happen) and a co-worker who was, seemingly a very nice guy. So the entire time I'm thinking okay, at least Bee likes two men in this story … then the ending takes a shocking twist for a romance book. The only other male character with any redeeming qualities does something completely uncharacteristic and frankly, unbelievable, for a romance plot.

By this point I was over the entire plot.

I rate LOVE ON THE BRAIN two stars out of five.

I loved this book even more than The Love Hypothesis. It follows almost the exact same formula, but that really worked for me. Ali Hazelwood excels at building tension and relationships, and then providing a good pay off with her smut scenes. My only real issue is the tweet snippets drew me out of the story because some were too many characters to actually be accepted as tweets. But that's just a little pet peeve of mine. I thought this was fun and engaging and I blew through it. If you are a fan of Hazelwood, I think you will enjoy this. If you didn't like her first book and are looking for something different, I don't think this will work for you. I'm so excited to continue to read more from this author!

Total adoration is what I'm feeling for this novel. The intelligent and witty story telling of Ali Hazelwood perfectly exudes why she's a force in the contemporary romance world. She moves so flawlessly from the beginning of her story, which catches you immediately, to the end, where you feel as though you're an intimate part of her amazing characters lives. And these characters are adoringly quirky and perfectly charming that you can't help just smiling at their antics. They both have the perfect combination of drama and intrigue coupled with hilarity and love. Their story just works. The world of Academia and STEM are very far removed from my actual life but Hazelwood's writing makes me feel as though I'm a big part of it anyway, enveloped in a big, brainy, hilarious hug. I loved this book and truly believe everyone else will too.

crying in the club rn. don’t call. don’t text.

one of my auto buy author queens came with all the feels in Love On The Brain and like, are we surprised? No.

Levi and Bee. LEVI AND BEE!! stfu immediately. my sweet honeys. my stubborn angels. my sensitive nuggets. okay okay i’m done.

But really, I devoured this beauty in no time and I’m both happy to have read it while also kind of sad…??

Bee, my purple hair TWIN!!!!! legends only.

thank you thank you THANK YOU berkley and netgalley for this free review
copy 💜🧜🏼‍♀️

After my obsession with The Love Hypothesis last year and my continued adoration of Dr. Daddy Adam Carlsen, Love on the Brain was one of my MOST anticipated releases of 2022 and it did not disappoint!!

Okay so my fav part was Rocío. Ali, bestie, can we pls get a whole Ro book because 😘🤌🏻

I loved the “I am a woman in STEM, hear me roar” energy of this book. Y’all have to put up with some patriarchal BS and every single one of you is a rockstar. (It did get fairly science-y at times and I was a little bit confused)

Levi. You absolute hunk. We stan a 6’4” grumpy dark haired man that believes in science and sees the potential fun of a wall.

Bee was SO relatable? Like…I highlighted a LOOOT of her inner monologue. Here’s a particular fav:

“Disappointingly, sitting on the couch thinking about working out has not improved my aerobic fitness…I’m not meant for this. And by “this” I mean using my body for anything more strenuous than reaching for my treat cupboard.”

Dead.

Also uhhh can we talk about the STEAM?! Chapter 16 in The Love Hypothesis was cute. Ms. Ali H said hold my beer. Chapter 17?! And *then* some?! 🔥🥵 it’s a slow burn but OOF

My only meh and why I didn’t rate this one higher was I that couldn’t get past the “he hates me & thinks I’m so ugly”. Look, we as readers obvi KNOW we are reading a romance novel and that the grumpy hero doesn’t *actually* hate the MC. Maybe it’s the “if a boy is mean to you, it means he likes you” indoctrination of my formative years BUT I just couldn’t believe that she had noooo idea he didn’t loathe her. Then again, I literally think people hate me all the time so perhaps it’s a people in glass houses thing and I need to reevaluate…regardless, it had me rolling me eyes a liiiittle too often. 🫢

Don’t get me wrong. I still LOVED it and 1000% recommend. TOTES keep an eye out for this one in August 2022!!!

Thank you to @netgalley & @berkleypub for the eARC!!

I would love to interview Ali Hazelwood for Pop-Culturalist.com!! Ali’s books are incredible and Love on the Brain is one of my favorite 2022 books. If you’re into reading books about women in STEM and romance than this is FOR YOU!!

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book!

Ali Hazelwood is slowly becoming one of my most enjoyable to read authors. This was a book I found hard to put down. If you enjoyed “The Love Hypothesis,” you will surely enjoy this novel, as well. If you thought “The Love Hypothesis” had a lot of the miscommunication trope, “Love on the Brain” takes it to a whole new level.

The novel is full of call outs for misogyny and sexist behaviour in science, along with the power of social media being used for positive change (but also how easily that platform can crumble headway). I particularly enjoyed the hard to describe aspect of resenting a woman “needing” a man to give you public approval so that OTHER men will believe you, but the relief of having it so that you can just get the job done without MORE emotional labour in proving your worth and expertise.

The dynamic between Bee and Levi begins as tepid, but once it picks up steam, boy does it pick up steam. I wouldn’t say this books is extremely steamy, to my memory there are only two or three explicit sex scenes, but those scenes are explicit. Levi is a man who spent a long thing thinking about what he wanted and boy howdy was he good at communicating what he wanted.

I figured out who the “antagonist” of the novel was about halfway through when they were on the page just a little too much to be a secondary character. My main criticism of this novel is that, while it does address sexism in STEM fields, it doesn’t really talk about racism as there is a predominantly white cast of characters. There is maybe one speech towards the middle of the novel where a white female character criticizes a particular test that is used as an administrative requirement for academia. This novel can come off a little white-feminist-y for that reason.

Overall, really enjoyed this novel! Looking forward to reading more Ali Hazelwood novels in the future!

As a lady in a male dominated field, Bee knows how to work around men who don't like her. But during a collaboration with NASA, Bee must work with a former Enemy, Levi Ward. Levi has hated her since day one, but Bee doesn't understand why. When things in their project start to go wrong or missing, Bee begins to suspect. Can Levi really hate her that much?

I loved this book. It was beautifully paced, delightfully steamy, and the mystery behind the project bumps was done so deliberately that I had trouble believing who had actually done it!

While learning more about Marie Curie’s life through Bee’s obsession with her was great and the characters seemed more professional than in The Love Hypothesis (key word being more, they both are so immature that it’s hard to believe that they are professionals), Bee and Levi felt so incredibly similar to Adam and Olive that it was hard to believe I was reading a different story. The banter was entertaining so people who enjoyed that from the last book will love this. One final note, I am tired of how often the characters' size differences are mentioned, even though it is a common trope in romance novels, it seems especially emphasized in Hazelwood's books.

Y’all, STOP IT.
Whyyyy am I loving these books so much?!

This could have been AH’s grocery list and I think my rating would be the same.
Levi is just so good, SO GOOD, and I can’t handle it.

Still didn’t feel like I needed to be a rocket scientist to follow what was going on here, and that was my favorite part, especially since I forgot the word cold today.

Super cute novel! I loved her first novel and the streak continues. I am looking forward to getting my hands on a physical copy!

*Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Ali Hazelwood has a way of making me care for characters so much I feel like I know them. It was like that with her debut and it is the same here. This story follows Bee a pink hair neuroscientist that is headed to Texas to work on a project with NASA which is great except her arch nemesis from grad school, Levi, is her co-lead on the project. As they try to work together, the pressure rises and eventually things boil to the surface.
This is a classic rival to lovers storyline, where it is pretty obvious from the beginning that he likes her. There is also a little bit of a You Got Mail situation regarding Twitter accounts. I really liked our Hero, Levi. He is that perfect cinnamon roll, socially awkward, pinning man. The way he treats Bee in the middle and the end of the book are great. Bee is pretty relatable with her lack of fitness, not cooking, and quirky personality. I was crying at one point and laughing at the next. I had to put the book down towards the end because I can't handle the idea of a third act breakup between these two. This book had a visceral reaction in me which makes it already an amazing book. I also enjoyed the side characters in this book much more than her first as most of these were supportive and not pushy. This book does have more spice than her debut.
There were a few flaws upon giving it time to sit. The ending was such a tonal shift and quite out of pocket that it jarred me out of the romance for a bit. Besides that the other issues I saw were similar to her first. Once again, the girl is very small and the guy is quite large and that is constantly pointed out. Bee also have a fainting issues that is never quite explained, but makes her faint like she is a 18th century damsel in distress, complete with the hero picking her up bridal style. It was quirky once or twice but after a while it felt like a shick.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I think it is on par with her first book. So if you enjoyed The Love Hypothesis you will like Love on The Brain

3 ⭐️ I wanted more

So first off, I want to say that Ali Hazelwood is an excellent writer who can write about science in a way that non-science folks (like me) can understand and find entertaining. I’m also a huge fan of her humor and one-liners. Plus, she does an amazing job creating tension between the MCs. I will definitely read anything and everything by her! 💕

Specifically in Love On The Brain, I enjoyed the overall storyline, the bits about life as a woman in STEM, the interesting info about Madame Curie, the tension between Levi and Bee, the Twitter DMs, Rocio and Kaylee, and the cats!


That being said. . . I really enjoyed The Love Hypothesis and had high hopes for Love On The Brain, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. Here’s why:


- Was this The Love Hypothesis 2.0? Obviously, there are differences between the stories and characters. However, the similarities are striking and hard to miss. Some of this was the mannerisms or way the characters spoke or the words they used to describe things were identical. And in a lot of ways, Levi and Adam were the same people, just a different font.

- The romance took extremely long to unfold because the only thing holding it back was Bee’s misunderstanding and inability to shut up and let Levi explain himself. I love the miscommunication trope, but Bee was trying really hard to keep these miscommunications between them.

- The scene with Levi's family was unnecessary. I thought this would be a major conflict based on how it was introduced. But nothing of importance happens. We already know Levi's family was awful since he explained it to Bee, so this meeting was completely pointless for the story.

- Levi letting his awful family be a part of his life was confusing. He says he’s been to therapy because of them, but any good therapist would have told him to cut them out of his life because they are extremely toxic. And Levi says he’s thought about cutting them out but hasn’t because “his brother and mom are much better when my father isn’t around.” Not a good enough reason.

- Levi’s reason for his behavior towards Bee in grad school was hardly explained. All he says is he had issues communicating because of his family/childhood, and he went to therapy and is better now. I needed more.

- The sex scenes felt incredibly jumpy. There was some graphic terminology, but once they got started, it glossed over the act for one paragraph, and then it was over. I needed more.

- Bee’s inability to comprehend that Levi could like her more than just a f**k buddy was extremely annoying. I rolled my eyes at many of her inner thoughts because she kept talking herself out of the possibility that he could be serious. She was basically in a constant state of denial.

- The fact Bee is working towards mending the friendship with Annie, her ex-best friend, who screwed her fiancé upsets me. Annie slept with Tim because she wanted to know what it would be like to be Bee (first off, that’s a little creepy), but she didn’t even like him. Obviously, there’s never a good reason to sleep with your best friend's fiancé, but this was the worst. And now, because Bee misses the friendship, she’s working on mending it by the end of the book. No. Just no. I could NEVER imagine forgiving a person who would willingly hurt me like that.

- The big conflict at the end was pretty unrealistic. I needed more of an explanation for the villain's actions than what we got. It seemed very out of place and random with the story, and I doubt this would ever happen in real life.



So would I recommend this book? If you really loved The Love Hypotheses, I definitely think you’ll like this one too. It’s an easy-to-read, fun story that combines science and romance. However, if you weren’t a fan, then you should pass.



Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.

Super cute with a slow start, Ali's newest release follows the formula that works best for her. I enjoyed the characters and how unique they were. This one was a little slow going though and I set it down multiple times before really getting into the mystery and the romance. I loved the ties to Marie Curie and it made me research her a little when I finished. It wasn't super spicy but definitely a slow burn which I loved. Funny side characters, well researched, and a great ending.

I’m an @alihazelwood addict and I won’t deny it! Someone please lock this woman in a room with her laptop and slip her just enough food and water to keep her satiated and hydrated so she can continue churning out more gorgeous books.

This one is everything you want and hope for: nerdy and funny and sweet and spicy and heartwarming and smart. There’s so much juicy yearning and pining in this book. Great side characters. Lots of neuroscience and engineering. I couldn’t put it down. It’s out 8/23/22 and you should just go right ahead and preorder it! You won’t regret it.

Thank you Ali and Berkley and Netgalley for the early digital copy!

You’re all going to love this one!

Ali Hazelwood is quickly becoming a favorite author. This book, like Love Hypothesis before it, has fun, smart female characters with the geeky boys we love.

While it was well known that Love Hypothesis was originally fanfiction, this book feels a little different. You can still see a bit of the fictional universe the author obviously loves, but this book stands it's own ground away from fan fiction. Knowing the author's STEM background, this book feels authentic in a way that not all romance books can achieve. I lived it and I can't wait to see what else Hazelwood has in store for us.

This was a good follow up to Hazelwood's first book, but I still felt like there was more potential to be tapped. I love the STEM elements, academic romances are one of my favorites, but the MC heroines feel too juvenile. Hazelwood's MC heroes have the perfect amount of brooding and sensitivity, so that is a win. The story is a bit predictable, you can tell some of the big plot twists right away but it was still fun to read what happens.

the author who published reylo fanfic as her debut novel references star wars in her second book. that's so fucking funny. ali hazelwood you're so fucking funny.

i loooove levi. i'm generally pretty over the "perfect" male love interest, but i still love it when it's done well. and it was done well. i love wish fulfillment and hot people, what can i say.

as for the whole twitter thing. i thought it was going to be way more annoying, so props to hazelwood for it NOT being super annoying. i also thought that the stem feminism thing was going to be poorly done, but no, it was generally pretty good. i do really like these books because you can tell that the author is actually a woman in stem. some of it was preachy, but that's on par with any of these romcoms.

i liked that the conflict was a "traditional" conflict and not a "woman is facing sexists" conflict.

this book was fucking funny i genuinely actually laughed at some bits. it does read like fanfic a bit, but that's not a BAD thing. i like to have fun!!!!

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing my review copy.

Is Brainy Romance a trope? Because if it isn't, someone needs to make it a thing and then award Ali Hazelwood with the damn crown!!! Holy Crap, Love on the Brain was amazing!!!! Hazelwood's The Love Hypothesis was one of my FAVORITE books last year so I was sooooo excited to read another women in STEM story. In her second novel, Hazelwood pens a delightful story with fantastic whip-smart wit, delicious banter, hot tension/yearning and a soul-deep connection that could not be denied!!!

I am officially putting the world on notice that Levi Ward is my new boyfriend and I will fight everyone for him!! Gah!!! He is serious, intense, broody and SO sexy. I am legit obsessed with him! Anyone who knows me knows that Enemies to Lovers novels are my jam but to add in smart and hilarious banter and a heroine I want to be bestfriends with? Sign me up! This story was filled to the brim with so much heart and emotion and the love story between Levi and Bee was perfection! While I will admit there was, in my opinion, a prolonged miscommunication between them for more than half the story that could have been cleared up with a conversation, Love on the Brain hit all the right spots and delivered another funny, heartwarming and smart romance I could not get enough of.

Overall, Love on the Brain was another amazing story by Ali Hazelwood. It had a potent combination of feels, laughs, swoons and characters that burrow themselves deep in your heart to never leave. Bravo! 5 stars!

Thank you Berkley Publishing for an advanced copy of this book for an advanced review! ~Ratula